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View Poll Results: How many games will Michigan win? ( not counting bowl games )

Wolverines football players take changes in stride

CHICAGO -- Everyone, it seems, has an opinion on Rich Rodriguez and his hip spread offense replacing Lloyd Carr's old-school leadership at Michigan.

So what do the Michigan players think of all this historic change?

"That is not for me to decide," fifth-year tight end Mike Massey said. "Change is always hard. We all kind of came together after the season, and after Lloyd left, and said there's absolutely no room to prepare for it, so just go with it. I hate to not answer your question, but there was no room to prepare for this change, or time to really form an opinion on it."

Massey added that it really makes no difference who is in charge this season.

"As players, we committed to Michigan. To the university," he said. "Football at the University of Michigan is way bigger than Lloyd Carr, way bigger than Bo Schembechler, way bigger than Rich Rodriguez and all of us. You're part of something extremely special, no matter who is at the helm. You have to realize that, and just play Michigan football."

Fifth-year senior cornerback Morgan Trent said he had no problem with change.

"There's been a great deal of change, and I do like the overall change," he said. "Being at Michigan, and with all the success we've had in the past, you can say no change was needed. You can also say we didn't win national and Big Ten championships the last few years, so change was needed.

"It's not whether it was needed. It happened."

Former U-M starting center Justin Boren didn't care for change, and transferred to Ohio State after Michigan's spring workouts.

Boren said the new presence of Rodriguez and his staff meant the disappearance of family values within the program.

"That's a non-issue," Massey said of Boren's comments. "The players didn't even talk about it. At all. I'm not lying. We didn't have room to. We were so busy dealing with everything else regarding a new coach, a new staff and a new system."

Defensive end Tim Jamison said the change has required some serious adjustments.

"It's been an experience. I didn't see this coming going into my last season," the fifth-year-senior said. "It's crazy.

"But I trust our coaches, and have bought in. I believe they're going to do some great things this year."

Preseason prognosticators don't have high hopes for Michigan.

"I don't listen to that stuff. And this being my senior year, that definitely isn't what I want to hear," Trent said.

"We hear it, but, at the same time, we're not paying attention to it. We know what we can do, and what we're going to do."

Mike Hart plays well in professional debut

Posted by Chris Burke August 04, 2008 10:32AM
Categories: Top Sports, U-M Football

Fighting to make the Indianapolis Colts roster, Mike Hart took a big step in that direction on Sunday night in the annual Hall of Fame preseason game. Hart led all Indianapolis runners with 53 yards on four carries, and added 28 yards on three receptions.

Stampede Blue, a Colts' blog, had this to say:

Mike Hart impressed me the most of any player. The kid ran like a man on fire. He lived up to his billing fighting for extra yardage AFTER someone ripped his helmet off. He displayed skill picking up the blitz, but what impressed the most was his burst. Hart took the hand-off, found his lane, and shot through like a bullet. He doesn't have breakaway speed, but he has a good burst through the line. He reminded me of Edgerrin James, especially since he is wearing #32. Hart is living up to his Michigan billing, and I can see why Dungy loves him.

it is a topic. why not? what is wrong with having a former michigan player and one of the best in history of the program that nobody gave a chance to do anything in the nfl, when he plays his first game in preseason he shows out more than any other player?

Michigan camp begins: Grady's back

The University of Michigan opened training camp this afternoon practicing on a new artificial turf field located behind Schembechler Hall.

The sun shone, the music blared (to imitate crowd noise), the freshmen joined in their first practice, and a veteran running back who had been suspended made his return.

Tailback Kevin Grady, who was suspended by coach Rich Rodriguez following an arrest for drunken driving in early July, was in uniform and fully participating. Rodriguez will be available to answer questions later this afternoon about Grady and other matters.

Other observations from the half-hour or so of practice the media watched:

- Quarterback Steven Threet is still showing the best arm of the contenders for the starting job. Threet threw some wobblers, but generally put zip on the ball.

- Freshman quarterback Justin Feagin has some nifty feet. It's not obvious yet, however, whether he's a skilled enough passer to fill a passing role in his first season.

-Â The offense is getting accustomed to the spread option. Sure, no one was wearing pads and no one getting hit. But the players looked fast, and the quarterbacks looked confident flipping the ball off to the backs on option plays.

- Sam McGuffie's got the moves. Again, insert the no-pads caveat, but YouTube video star McGuffie, a running back from Texas, sure looks like he's going be a slippery ball-carrier.

Michigan's new tune: Rodriguez excited after first day of practice

Eliyahu Gurfinkel | The Ann Arbor News
Rich Rodriguez answers questions following the summer's first official practice Monday afternoon.The sound, at least, was golden oldies all the way.

As the University of Michigan football team's training camp opened on Monday afternoon, external relations and administrative assistant Dusty Rutledge maneuvered his way around the practice field on a golf cart outfitting with a sound system.

While the speaker on top blared Motown favorites such as The Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman" to create a noisy game-day-like atmosphere, the players zipped around the new artificial turf surface, quarterbacks pitched the ball left and right, receivers darted this way and that.

Definitely not traditional Michigan, but the only way for new Wolverine coach Rich Rodriguez, whose spread option offense was on display for the first time since a soggy spring scrimmage in April.

"The first day of practice is really pretty exciting," Rodriguez said afterward. "You get involved as a coach in certain drills, try to coach, see things. I like getting in the middle of it."

No one wore pads for practice, which followed a morning weightlifting session and preceded five sprints around the field. Linemen had 80 seconds per lap; skill position players had to cover each lap in 60 seconds or less.

"We're going to be the best-conditioned, hardest-working team this year," said senior defensive tackle Terrance Taylor, who dropped 27 pounds in the off-season.
Practices will continue at a one-a-day pace through Friday, when players will wear pads for the first time. Double sessions begin Saturday in preparation for the Aug. 30 season opener at home against Utah.

Although Rodriguez and senior defensive tackle Will Johnson both said they'd like to see a change in music selections for coming practices, the intensity isn't likely to wane.

"It's more like every practice is game day," Taylor said, comparing this training camp to others in his Michigan career. "It's that kind of feeling that everything is real important at that time. We're gonna have fun, but first we're gonna get things done."

Grady practices

Reserve tailback Kevin Grady, who had been suspended since a drunken driving arrest in early July, has rejoined the team, Rodriguez said. Although Grady practiced Monday, he hasn't yet "done enough to warrant playing time" in games, the coach added.

The quarterback battle

Steven Threet worked with the first team Monday, followed in order of appearance by Nick Sheridan and true freshman Justin Feagin. With quarterback Chad Henne now in the NFL, it's yet to be determined who will be his replacement. Threet, a redshirt freshman, said he feels more at ease running option plays now than he was at the end of spring practices.

"We knew there were certain strides we had to make and we had to get more comfortable with," Threet said.

Rodriguez complimented the play of Sheridan and also said that Feagin "showed a few things, as well."

"It's going to be a competition that may continue throughout the season," Rodriguez said. "I hope we have at least two we feel we can win with."

Sheridan said that Feagin has made a positive impression so far.

"He tries to learn a lot," Sheridan said. "He asks questions. He's a good kid. I like him."

First offensive unit

Though offensive configurations may change from play-to-play, here's how the starting lineup looked during one drill Monday. Carlos Brown and Brandon Minor were the running backs, Threet was at quarterback and Greg Mathews, Darryl Stonum and Toney Clemons filled the receiver spots. Along the line, it was Mark Ortmann at left tackle, Tim McAvoy at left guard, David Moosman at center, Cory Zirbel at right guard and Steve Schilling at right tackle.

Speedy freshmen

The new Michigan offense is predicated on speed and skill, so those were the top goals for Rodriguez when he signed his first recruiting class in February. Although it's just one practice, the coach seemed impressed by what he'd witnessed.

"All those guys showed some flashes today," he said, after ticking off a list of names that included Terrance Robinson, Sam McGuffie, Michael Shaw and Feagin among others. "They're pretty intelligent guys as well, which is something you don't know for sure until you put in a system, how quickly they can pick it up."

This and that

One of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr's recruits, long snapper George Morales, has been added to the Wolverines' roster. Rodriguez said Morales will be on scholarship ... Adidas made its debut on the practice field as the new outfitter for Michigan sports. The offense wore white jerseys, the defense sported blue ... Wide receiver Junior Hemingway wore a green jersey to denote limited participation as he continues to recover from injury ... Freshman offensive lineman Elliott Mealer is not expected to practice before the season opener, Rodriguez said. Mealer is recovering from injuries he suffered in a car crash late last year.